Brooder.



t nection with the temperature regulatingk En STATES PAT L;

WILLIS A. scnLnrr, or smcnsn, NEW Yoan.

nnoonnn.

Speoication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

Application led October 6, 1914. Serial No. 865,314.

To all lwhom t may concern:

with the accompanying drawings, is a full, v

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in brooders for fowls, such as chickens and the like, and more particularly to a broeder for installation in colony houses in which youn chickens are reared for the rst few wee or months after hatching.

Broeders of this character involve the use of a heating means and a hover forming an inclosed space for the little chickens and adapted to be heated by said means.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a structure by means of which heat is economically and efficiently diffused over the backs of the fowls within the hover.

Another object is to provide means for automatically regulating the temperature of the hover at any predetermined point.

A further object 4is to provide ventilating means for the hover, operating in conmeans.

A further object is to provide the hover with a movable sector shaped section, rendering the heater accessible for coaling, firing and cleaning.

rlhe ioor of colony houses for young chickens is usually covered with litter `of highly inammable character, rendering the use of ordinary combustion heaters dangerous, due to the` dropping of hot coals, ashes, sparks, etc., particularly during the shaking of the stove to remove ashes, elinkers, etc., and a further object of this invention, therefore, relates to the provision ot means for entirely eliminating this danger by providing the heater with a sealed base preventing ashes or coals from falling outside.

Other objects will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the brooder, showing the movable sector shaped section as swun over the main body of the hover to allow ree access to the heater.

Fig. 2 is a view, largely in section, of the temperature controlling means andthe upper portion of the heate Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section diametrically of the broeder, a portion of the hover being broken away.

Fig. Ltis a horizontal cross section through the heater looking down upon the grate.

The invention comprises a heater -1- having an outwardly curved upper portion todeiect the heated air outwardly, and a solid bottom 3- having cross ribs upon which a suitable ash-pan .5-

rests. l

The bottom wall -3- is spaced a suitable distance from the floor upon which, the heater is adapted to rest, byl means of a base -6-, to prevent heating of the floor. This heater may be provided with any suitable form of grate, as the grate -7- illustrated herewithand commonly known as a sllding, slicing grate, formed of a stationary section -8- having a series of lugs -9- engaged with slots in the walls of the heater, and a movable section -10- rotatable thereon.

The front wall of the heater is provided with a slot or opening --ll-, and the movable' section -10- of the grate is provided with a projecting member -12- preferably formed integral therewith and having a lug `13 positioned in the slot l1- and provided with an opening letfor the reception of a shaking-rod, not illustrated. The member -12- is of suiiicient width and thickness .to entirely cover the slot -l1- in any position of the grate as limited by the contact of the lug 13- with the opposite ends of the slots -11-, and readily slides against the inner side of the wall of the heater to allowthe section -10- to berotated upon the section -8-. By this construction the heater is easily and readily shaken and the danger of ashes and coals dropping outside the heater through the slot in which the shaker moves is eliminated. l

The ash-door --15- is readily accessible from the front of the heater and extends out substantially square in front of the heater, therebyy allowing the heater to accommodate a larger ash-pan with a less length of ash-door.

The heater is preferably provided with a coal feed magazine -16- extending some distance above the heater and above the hover hereinafter described, and projecting some distance downwardly into the lire-pot, and this magazine is preterably provided with a removable closure --l"Z'- A series oi posts -l$ as shown, four in number, are mounted upon the top oi the heater, preferably removably mounted by means or" suitable bolts, and may be oi any suitable or desired length adapted to receive and support a suitable hover l9 formed or" a top portion 2dpreterably horizontally disposed and circular in shape, and having a vertically depending iiange 2l-- o any suitable vvidth and adapted to posr tion and support a side vvlall, hereinafter described, operatingin conjunction With the outwardly curved upper portion of the heater to deflect hover and downwardly `along its edge` For the purpose of suitably connecting this hover to the posts -18, a pair of transverse crossing bars 22rand 23-, U-shape in cross section, extending substantially diametrically of the portion -20- of the hover, and at substantially right angles to each other and having` their opposite ends bent at substantially right angles to their main body to support a side vvall 2ain contact with and forming va vsubstantialcontinuation of the Harige -21, are provided and are suitably connected to the portions ,--20- and Q2- by means of rivets or bolts -25. Y

The posts -18- are seated in the channel of the U-shaped bars, and the bars and the portion 20- are connected to the posts by means of bolts -26- having a threaded relation with an internally threaded seat Yin The side wall 2dis provided with a depending curtain 27 of felt or similar material adapted to retain the heat Within the hover and prevent heating up of the room surrounding the hover.

The hover is provided with a movable section -28- adapted to form a substantial continuation of the remainder oi the hover so far as form and outline are concerned, and is hinged to the heater by means of a suitable hinging member -29- connected to the horizontally disposed portion of the section -28- and to one end of a lifting arm -30-, the other end of which is attached to the section -28-. The hinging member -29- is rotatably mounted upon the pivots 31 and -32- so that the section -28- may be moved around and outside of the main body of the hover, and by reason of the tact that this section is hinged eccentrically to the circular top portion -20-, the pivot 32- is offset to one side ci the anis of the pivot -3l-, and is disposed a short distance Jfarther magazine Jiced -l7- is the pivot the heated air across the @Elsa c1 #33:-, so as to tilt movable section rela tively to the main body oi the hover as it is moved to open position, thereby enlarging the pomible vvidthioi' the movable section consistent with operation.l

is shovvn, this movable section is sector shaped and comprises about one-icurth of the circumi'erence and extent oi the hover and moves outside the body of the hover so as not to disturb frighten the ovvls, and allows access to the heater and to the temperature controlling means hereina described.

The heater is provided with a chamber -33- having communication with the irebox through an opening 3iand with a smoke pipe -35- through an opening -86-, and with the interior of the hover through an opening 3i-g. The opening 34- is provided with a suitable movable closure or valve 38 adapted to be oper ated, through suitable connections as the pivoted arm -39 and link -iO--9 by a thermostatic device comprising a bellows -41- adapted to expand under heat and operating upon a ivoted arm a2- connected to an uprig t rod 4B- by means of a spring 4i-3 which rod operates upon the pivoted arm 39- to close lthe valve -38- against the action ci an adjusting balzmcing weight i5- rlhe thermostatic device is rig'dly supported by means of Aa bracket d6-'- c onva tubular member -47, which .in turn horizontal bracket '-48- uponc supports a which the arm 42- is pivotally mounted.

The opening -37- connecting the chamber -33- with the hover is normally partially closed by a lid -49- having an opening -50- through Which the link Li0 extends, and this opening is of sucient size to provide a Ventilating means for the hover i operating in connection with the heat-controlling means and the smoke pipe -35-1 rlhe operation of this portion of the device is as follows: The suction through the smoke pipe or chimney -35- is constant and when the valve -38- is in closed osition, chimney or smoke pipe draws m the hover and the room. When the valve -38- is partially open, the chimney draws partially from the fire-box of the heater -l and partially from the hover, and when the valve 3S- is entirely open, it closes the openine' -50- and the chimney draws entirely from the iire-bon of the heater, thereby constituting a combined draft regulator and ventilator. The thermostatic device may be set to operate at any predetermined temperature by the Weight 45- and as the temperature increases in the hoverthe bellows -iivvill enpand and actuate the lever Li2 to draw the rod d3- there- 13G decrease the exactness What I claim is 1. In a broeder, a cylindrical shell open at one end and a heater disposed substan- .tially centrally of said shell, said cylindrical shell having a movable sector shaped section hinged eccentrically of the shell.

2. In a broeder, a cylindrical shellnopen' of operation.

and to pievent the deposit of lit-` 'ter and other foreign matter which would at one end, a heater disposed substantially 20 centrally of said shell, said shell having a movable sector shaped section hinged eccentrically ofthe shell at two separate points disposed vertically above each other, one of said points being oii-center from the 25 other.

3. In a broeder, a cylindrical shell open at one end, a heater disposed substantially centrally of said shell, said shell having a movable sector shaped section hinged eccen- 30 trically of the shell and means for tilting said section as it is moved to open position. In witness whereof' I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of September, 1914.

WILLIS A. SCHLEIT. Witnees:

E. A. THOMPSON, ALICE CANNON. 

